Wigan Album

Can anyone identify the large, square, imposing building roughly in the centre of the photo ?

Wigan Tech. Now the Town Hall

Ron is spot on. For those of you who still don't know, it's opposite Wallpapers supplies.

My Grandfather was a lecturer in mining at the Wigan Technical, not sure when he retired but must have been before 1959.

If my memory serves me right. The large building, towards the top left hand corner, is Coops sewing factory.

O&G Rushtons warehouse and the Mesnes field top right hand corner.

Can anyone pinpoint the old Town Hall/Police Station?.

Albert, if you look roughly in the middle of the shot near to the bottom you can pick out Scholes bridge taking the tracks out of Central Station. To the left of the bridge is where Scholes met Station Rd. and further to the left the entrances to Chapel Lane (where the fire station was) and the bottom of Library St. The white fronted buildings which curve around into King St were opposite the entrance to the Town Hall,

Thank you Derekb. When you were perambulating the streets, you didn't notice, nor realize how various roads curved, and it takes a while to adjust your mind to such a map.

I can see our old house from here, just right of the River Douglas, Bold Street, at the back of Moy Toy's Chinese laundry.

Hello Wiganreds48.I also lived in Bold St.,No.9. I can see our front door. But Bold St. wasn't at the back of Moy Toys Chinese Laundry. That was on Scholes. The Laundry can just be seen in the bottom right hand corner of the picture. Next door to Moy Toys was Joe Foster's barber's shop.

Hi Norman Cunliffe, I always had the impression when my mam was telling us about old Scholes that Moy Toy's was at the back of house. We lived at No. 30, about 3 or 4 doors up from the " Dougie". I'd have only been 7 weeks old when this photo was taken so don't really have any lasting memories of here. I do remember my dad telling me that Billy Boston helped to knock our house down. This would have been about 1965/66. He worked for Webster's Demolition Company at the time, he'd have the craic with my dad after he'd come home from working down the pit. We moved down Marsh Green, temporarily, before coming back to live in the Dutch houses in Scoles about 9 months later.

Hello again Wiganreds48. I'm a bit confused about our house numbers. Street numbers always start (if possible) with No.1 nearest the town centre. I lived at No.9; moving towards the Douglas, Mrs Owens lived next door at No.7 then there was a space where Nos. 5,3 and 1 should have been. So No.30 should have been at the opposite end of the street. So you or I have got things wrong ! The important thing is that we may have been neighbours for a while. So Billy Boston knocked your house down did he. Put a rugby ball under his arm and he could have knocked anything down. I hope Wiganreds48 means that you are a fellow Wigan RL supporter.

Hi again Norman Cunliffe, I am positive about our house number, I have my fathers old driving license showing this. I don't understand your meaning of No. 1 being nearer to the town centre. Our house was nearer to the Dougie. Yes I still like my rugby. Good Luck.

Hi again Wiganreds48. Maybe I'm wrong about house numbers; it's something I've always assumed. But I have an apology, my sister tells me our house no. was 17, not 9. That makes more sense because if you walk towards the Douglas, the picture shows a space on the right-hand side of the street long enough to have held 7 more houses. If you lived at no.30 you would have been quite close to Moy Toys....round the corner and cross the road at Scholes 'Crossing'. Good to talk to you.